Levin Amendment to Make Public Report on Domestic Terrorism Passes House

July 17, 2019

Press Release

The amendment to the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2019 would ensure that unclassified information about domestic terrorism in the U.S. is made available to the public.

An amendment authored by Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09) that would help to inform the public about the state of domestic terrorism in the United States was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today. The amendment was part of the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2019, which passed the House by 397-31.

“Murders by domestic extremists were up 26% from 2016 to 2017, which is proof that understanding the threats that come from inside our country is just as important as understanding our foreign adversaries,” Congressman Andy Levin said. “As we study domestic terrorism in the United States, it’s important that we keep the public informed about what we learn. I’m confident that by thoroughly investigating the problem of domestic terrorism, especially acts that have targeted racial and religious minorities, we will move closer to eradicating it from our country. The intelligence community should treat the public as partners in this work and share findings in order to reduce fear, enhance preparedness and facilitate further reporting of plots and incidents of domestic terrorism.”

The Intelligence Authorization Act of 2019 requires that a joint report on domestic terrorism be submitted to Congress each year by the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis.

Congressman Levin’s amendment requires that the comprehensive report on domestic terrorism be made available on the public websites of the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security no later than 30 days after submission to the appropriate congressional committees.